Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely young daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.

Some U.S. dioceses are reporting that 2014 will be an unusually fruitful year, in terms of the number of people welcomed into the Church.

Speaking of the prospect of becoming a Catholic at this year’s Easter vigil, Sheila Bidzinski, a 36-year-old mother of two little boys, excitedly admits, “I hope I won’t pass out, but I have told my husband he has to get behind me in case he has to catch me.”

When Bidzinski, who has been studying the Catholic faith with a group at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Derwood, Md., comes into the Church, she will be participating in what one commentator has dubbed “a boom.”

The Archdiocese of Washington, where Bidzinski’s parish is located, will welcome the largest number of candidates and catechumens ever recorded for the archdiocese this Easter. The archdiocese will baptize or confirm 1,311 adults, children and teenagers this Easter.

Catechumens are people who have never been baptized into any Christian church, while candidates are those who have been baptized and are seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

More than half the people coming into the Church in Washington this Easter will be catechumens.

“To be baptized as an adult is a remarkable thing, and it shows that something has changed in this person’s life,” Blauvelt said.

Although no national figures on the number of people coming into the Church this Easter are available, several dioceses are reporting a larger-than-usual number this Easter.

This group is one of my all-time favorites. Blood, Sweat, and Tears devote an album track to a famous evangelist who comes to town. Scripture tells us the evangelist's message was a call for repentance.

Holy John was considered by the people to be a great prophet. They flocked to hear him speak and baptize.

He would be imprisoned by Herod about the time Jesus began his ministry. The ruler of Galilee, Herod took John into custody as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip).Herod wanted to kill John because he said Herod couldn’t marry Herodias, that it was against God’s law. But fearing a riot if the popular prophet was killed, Herod kept John locked up.

At a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’ young daughter, Salome performed an erotic dance for the inebriated Herod who had vowed to give her anything she wanted if she would perform.Salome, upon her mother’s urging, demanded the head of John be brought to her on a platter. Regretting his promise, Herod still didn’t want to go back on it, so he ordered John be beheaded.

Disciples informed Jesus of John’s death. Soon, Jesus would also be arrested. Roman Governor Pontius Pilate handed him over to be crucified.

“Although crucifixion could take a variety of forms, it was common to have the victim carry the crossbeam to the place of crucifixion where the upright was already in place. Occasionally the victim was tied to the crossbeam with leather thongs, but most often nails were used, as in the case of Jesus. The nails were five to seven inches long and were driven through the feet and wrists, not the hands. Crosses in the shape of an X or a T were used, but since the title was attached over Jesus' head we know the style used for Jesus' cross was the shape we usually imagine, a t, which was also a common form. The person was laid on the ground and nailed to the crosspiece, which was then hoisted into place. Often the person was only a short distance off the ground, though the fact that a stick was needed in order to offer Jesus a drink suggests his head was higher than arm's length above the people on the ground. The nail wounds would cause a great deal of bleeding, but death often took place through suffocation. A little seat rest was attached to allow the person to maintain a position in which it was possible to breathe, thus prolonging the agony.”

While I’ve been recuperating from hip surgery, I've had the chance to read Bill O’Reilly’s fascinating book, “Killing Jesus.” There’s a great line that ends one of the chapters. Jesus has been placed in the tomb, and a nervous Pilate agrees to a precautionary move to prevent anyone from stealing the body. O’Reilly writes, “And so it is that a Roman guard is placed at the tomb of Jesus, just in case the dead man tries to escape.”

Mark wrote in a gospel that on the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to apply to Jesus’ body. When they arrived at the tomb they saw the stone placed in front had been rolled away. They became alarmed when they entered and saw a young man dressed in a white robe.

“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified," he said "But he has risen! He is not here! See the place where they had put him.”

Again from O'Reilly's book, "To this day, the body of Jesus of Nazareth has never been found."

Next up, jazz legend Ramsey Lewis. He started playing gospel piano at the age of 4. In 2005 he recorded a gospel CD and some of the tracks featured the J.W. James Memorial A.M.E. Church Combined Choir in Maywood, Illinois. The CD, a production of Narada Jazz located in Milwaukee, was recorded live at the church where Lewis' sister is Reverend. This is Ramsey Lewis’ rendition of a 1969 hit recording by the Edwin Hawkins Singers.

We do this every Friday to demonstrate that there’s plenty of good music around, real good music.

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